Application software

This section describes the relevant accessibility standards for application software and gives sample text that you can cut and paste into an RFT. This text is designed to be used in conjunction with the sample texts describing general accessibility targets, an appropriate development process, how tenders will be evaluated, etc. These sample texts are given on the Writing an RFT page.

This covers application software running under any operating system or runtime environment. For an introduction to the accessibility issues that arise with application software, read the section About Application Software Accessibility in the NDA IT accessibility guidelines.

Which targets should you prescribe?

Suggested text for an RFT

Accessibility targets

<the software> should be designed in accordance with the NDA IT Accessibility Guidelines for Application Software. It should meet at least all the priority 1 guidelines and all appropriate and achievable priority 2 guidelines. Where a supplier considers any guidelines to be inappropriate or unachievable for some component of the software, this must be stated explicitly in the tender, together with an explanatory rationale.

For each of these guidelines, more specific design guidance is provided, such as “Use system calls to determine required display characteristics for non-standard elements”. However, this is intended as guidance, not mandatory properties which must be adhered to. The NDA resource also gives the rationale and suggested testing methods for each guideline.

The NDA application software guidelines are divided into 2 priority levels. Priority 1 covers the basic requirements to allow people to operate the software. Meeting all the priority 1 guidelines will ensure that the software can be used by most people with impaired mobility, vision, hearing, cognition and language understanding and will interface to standard assistive technologies, such as keyboard emulators and screen magnification software. Priority 2 introduces guidelines concerning understandability and allowing users to install and set up the software. Meeting all the priority 2 guidelines in addition to priority 1 will make it easier to use and will include more people with cognitive impairments or multiple disabilities.

If procuring application software you should specify the NDA application software guidelines as a reference and expect that at least all the priority 1 guidelines should be met and preferably priority 2 as well.